Neutral flavored high stability peanut paste chocolate mix

Abstract

A highly stable peanut paste for use as an extender to chocolate is produced by first pressing blanched peanuts to remove a substantial portion of the natural oil. The pressed nuts are then roasted in a first oil bath to reconstitute them and then drained. While still hot, the roasted nuts are transferred to a second quenching bath of a high stability oil. The nuts are then milled to a paste, degassed and cooled and then mixed with chocolate.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent of the United States is: 
     
       1. A process for producing a chocolate extender, said process comprising the steps of: (a) blanching a starting batch of peanuts;   (b) pressing said peanuts in order to distort said peanuts while substantially preserving their particle integrity in order to remove a substantial proportion of the natural oil contained therein;   (c) reconstituting and roasting said peanuts while substantially preserving their particle integrity in a first bath of high stability oil in the range of from 275° to 350° F.;   (d) quenching said peanuts while substantially preserving their particle integrity in a second bath of high stability oil at a temperature substantially in the range of from 140° to 170° F.;   (e) said high stability oil having a melting point approximately equal to that of chocolate;   (f) said high stability oil replacing said natural oil in said peanuts to produce an intermediate batch of peanuts containing from 45 to 60 weight percent of said high stability oil;   (g) cooling said peanuts while substantially maintaining their particle integrity to set up said high stability oil therein;   (h) milling said peanuts into a paste characterized by a particle size of less than 74 microns;   (i) and vacuum degassing said paste to substantially remove entrained oxygen;   (j) said paste being characterized by substantially neutral flavor, high stability, and compatibility with chocolate.   
     
     
       2. A chocolate extender produced by a process comprising the steps of: (a) blanching a starting batch of peanuts;   (b) pressing said peanuts in order to distort said peanuts while substantially preserving their particle integrity in order to remove a substantial proportion of the natural oil contained therein;   (c) reconstituting and roasting said peanuts while substantially preserving there particle integrity in a first bath of high stability oil in the range of from 275° to 350° F.;   (d) quenching said peanuts while substantially preserving their particle integrity in a second bath of high stability oil at a temperature substantially in the range of from 140° to 170° F.;   (e) said high stability oil having a melting point approximately equal to that of chocolate;   (f) said high stability oil replacing said natural oil in said peanuts to produce an intermediate batch of peanuts containing from 45 to 60 weight percent of said high stability oil;   (g) cooling said peanuts while substantially maintaining their particle integrity to set up said high stability oil therein;   (h) milling said peanuts into a paste characterized by a particle size of less than 74 microns;   (i) and vacuum degassing said paste to substantially remove entrained oxygen;   (j) said paste being characterized by substantially neutral flavor, high stability, and compatibility with chocolate.   
     
     
       3. A composition comprising chocolate and a chocolate extender, said chocolate extender having a concentration in the range of from 5-20 percent by weight and resulting from a process comprising the steps of: (a) blanching a starting batch of peanuts;   (b) pressing said peanuts in order to distort said peanuts while substantially preserving their particle integrity in order to remove a substantial proportion of the natural oil contained therein;   (c) reconstituting and roasting said peanuts while substantially preserving their particle integrity in a first bath of high stability oil in the range of from 275° to 350° F.;   (d) quenching said peanuts while substantially preserving their particle integrity in a second bath of high stability oil at a temperature substantially in the range of from 140° to 170° F.;   (e) said high stability oil having a melting point approximately equal to that of chocolate;   (f) said high stability oil replacing said natural oil in said peanuts to produce an intermediate batch of peanuts containing from 45 to 60 weight percent of said high stability oil;   (g) cooling said peanuts while substantially maintaining their particle integrity to set up said high stability oil therein;   (h) milling said peanuts into a paste characterized by a particle size of less than 74 microns;   (i) and vacuum degassing said paste to substantially remove entrained oxygen;   (j) said paste being characterized by substantially neutral flavor, high stability, and compatibility with chocolate.